Bittersweet
by Evidence Of Rain
Summary: Some people are the light in the dark. Others cast shadows in the brightness. But everyone has their own story to tell, everyone has a reason to be here. And everyone is on the same crazy ride through life. One-shot collection.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, just a little explanation. This is a fic for all the very short ideas the plot bunnies are throwing at me. Some are drabble-esque (which is a word. **_**My **_**word.), others are just like regular one-shots. All pairings that you can think of, all genres too. Suggestions are welcome, if you feel like requesting something. Enjoy! **

**Characters: Rima, Nagihiko (Rima's parents)**

**Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort.**

Rima coldly contemplated the ocean that was spread out before her, churning and beating against the cliff where she stood. To stay or to go, neither seemed very convenient. But to take the few steps forward and fall would be less painful than to turn back and return to the screams of her parents. Even when they were quiet, their voices, filled with hatred, echoed around in her head. She just wanted out. She took a step forward. Half a step back. Then another step towards the edge. She was so close now, all he had to do was jump. She had no doubt that she could, and then it would be all over. She almost smiled, standing there. Soon her parents would regret not paying attention to her needs. They hadn't truly helped her since before she was kidnapped. And now she was going to make them pay. She raised her foot- and then she heard the ever-so-familiar voice ring out behind her.

"Rima? What are you doing? Get away from that ledge!"

She whirled around to see her former boyfriend running towards her, his indigo tresses swinging wildly around him. When he was within five feet of her, she inched backwards towards the sea, forcing him to stop approaching. He stared at her, horrified. She glared back defiantly.

"What's wrong? Come here, it's dangerous over where you are."

"No shit, I know that it's dangerous. Who cares?"

Some of his horror was transforming into anger. Why was she so… flippant?

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, or something?"

The silence that followed his question answered him. He shook his head slowly. She wouldn't do that, would she?

"No, Rima. Don't do this. What's going on?"

She laughed humorlessly. He had to ask. As if he couldn't guess. Her life was so predictable- it hadn't changed since her parents had started fighting.

"What's going on? You really have to ask? Well, my parents. They haven't given the writing a fucking break since I was a little kid. So I'm going to make them pay for what they've done."

Now Nagihiko was feeling a mixture of shock, anger and horror. He couldn't believe her. There was no way in hell that she would actually kill herself just to make her parents feel guilty.

"That isn't a good reason to end your life! You have so much to live for."

Rima's expression sobered, and Nagihiko could see years of pain built up in her eyes.

"You're wrong. I have nothing to live for. I have no reason to keep going."

He suddenly couldn't take it anymore. He lunged forward and grabbed her wrist, dragging her about a foot away from the cliff before she could react. Then she used all the strength that she possessed and dug her heels into the dirt. The two halted. He looked into her eyes. She stared up at him, waiting to see what he would say next.

"Everyone has a reason to live. If you don't know what it is yet, then your reason to keep going is finding that reason."

They stared at each other for the longest time. Nagihiko saw surprise and agony in her eyes. Rima saw concern, love, and hope in his. Finally, the tears that had been welling up in Rima's golden eyes spilled over. She spoke so quietly that Nagihiko almost missed it.

"I just did."

**And there we have it. The first of many. You don't have to review, but plot bunnies do enjoy reading them. Also, I would appreciate any corrections for errors, if you find any. Hope you liked it!**

**~Rainy**


	2. Stealing

**Ugh, sorry about the lack of updates. The plot bunnies are breeding, but for the past while I've either been up on Cloud 9 or in the Seventh Circle. And plot bunnies try to avoid heights and heat. Thanks to X-MelodiesOfTheSakuraTree-X and The Otaku You Fools for the reviews. Now, without further ado, onto today's little chapter!**

**Characters: Yaya, Kairi, Amu, Kukai**

**Genre: Humor, romance-ish stuff**

Yaya didn't mean to eavesdrop on her almost-boyfriend and Amu. Honestly, she didn't. Okay, well, maybe she was a bit curious, but she didn't mean to actually hear what they were saying. After listening for about half a minute, Yaya's eyes filled with tears and she dashed away from the pair. He began to cry as she ran. Being blinded by her tears, she ran into someone and fell back onto the floor. The person she ran into dusted himself off.

"Sorry about that, I should've been looking where I was- wait, what's wrong, Yaya?"

Yaya hastily wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked up into Kukai's concerned emerald orbs. He held out his hand and helped her up. They stood there awkwardly while Yaya controlled her sniffles. When he was finally able to speak, she told him why she was upset. Kukai frowned.

"They're planning to steal from you? That's… sort of odd. I can't imagine them doing that, Kairi especially."

"Yaya didn't think that Kairi or Amu-chi would steal from Yaya either, but Yaya heard Kairi say that he was going to!"

Yaya's apparent sincerity made Kukai believe her. He didn't think she would lie about something like this. He was starting to get angry at the new Jack and the Joker. He grabbed Yaya's hand, much to her surprise.

"Come on, we're going to go confront them about it."

Yaya looked panicked, but she didn't fight against his grip. She led him back in the direction they had come, and pointed to the closed door of the room where Kairi and Amu plotted their robbery. Kukai burst in without hesitation, Yaya trailing behind. The pair of thieves looked innocently surprised, as if they hadn't been caught planning to steal from the youngest member of the Guardians.

"Hello former Jack, Ace. Can we help you?" Kairi spoke politely and without hesitation. Yaya was shocked at his ability to act so calm.

"Kairi, I can't believe you! We come in here, and you act like you're so innocent! And you, Amu. Why would you even think of taking something from poor Yaya?"

Both of the schemers looked incredibly confused. They looked at each other, then back at Kukai and Yaya.

"Kairi was teaching me how to play chess. We weren't planning on taking anything from anyone!" Amu exclaimed.

Yaya pointed an accusing finger at Kairi.

"Kairi said he was going to take my candy!"

The other three looked at Yaya with confused expressions. Then, Kairi seemed to remember what he had said and facepalmed.

"Yuiki-san, I'd said that it was easier than taking candy from a baby, not that we were going to be taking candy from a baby."

Kukai burst out laughing and doubled over. Amu dissolved into giggles as Yaya's face turned bright pink.

"Yaya is sorry! Yaya shouldn't have been eavesdropping," the brunette hung her head and bowed apologetically. Kairi's stern expression softened into a smile.

"It's all right, Yuiki-san. Would you like to learn how to play?"

Yaya nodded energetically and took a seat, to learn to play the game.

"Oh, and Kairi? Nothing is harder than taking candy from Yaya."

**That… took such a long time to write. I'm pretty disappointed with the result; it was funnier in my head. Sorry for the extremely late update, I feel super guilty. I'll be trying to update again soon. Review if you feel like it. Ciao!**

**~Rainy**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm not dead! Though you wouldn't know that, from my lack of updates -_-" I'm really sorry. I promise to try to update faster in the future. For now, here's this thing.**

**Characters: Amu, Ikuto**

**Genre: Romance**

Ikuto wasn't a stalker. A lot of the times he saw Amu, it was pure coincidence. They happened to go to the same park a lot. It was a big park, so even then, they didn't see each other all too often. It struck him as amusing that Amu came and sat on the bench right below where he was perched comfortably in a tree, relaxing. She was enjoying an ice cream cone- chocolate, a commendable choice, in Ikuto's opinion. She looked quite cute, sitting there alone, enjoying her ice cream. Ikuto supposed she wouldn't mind _too _much if he joined her. Climbing down expertly, he greeted her casually.

"Hey, Amu. Nice to see you here," he said, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. Amu flinched, dropping her cone onto the paved path that she had taken to the bench.

"Ikuto! You made me drop my ice cream, idiot!" Ikuto grinned at that. Amu had a slight pink blush staining her cheeks, just making her look even more cute than usual.

_She sure is one adorable kid, _Ikuto thought before surveying the scene before him. The ice cream was a lost cause, there was no saving it. She hadn't eaten much of it.

"Sorry about making you lose your ice cream. Come on, I'll buy you another one," Ikuto offered, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and stood up, looking at him doubtfully.

"You will? Really?" she asked. Ikuto nodded and the two of them set off to the nearby ice cream stand.

"Two medium chocolate cones, please," Ikuto chose, pulling out some money. He handed one of the cones to Amu, licking the second. They ambled back to the bench, sitting and enjoying their ice cream in a comfortable silence. Ikuto watched Amu happily lap up the cold treat

"Hey, Amu?"

"What is it, Ikuto?" Amu asked, surprised that he broke the silence. He was usually pretty quiet, going along with whatever she wanted to talk about.

"I love you," he proclaimed casually, leaning back and swiping his tongue over the cone, where some ice cream had melted and dribbled down.

Amu flushed a bright pink, slightly embarrassed by the sudden confession.

"You shouldn't joke about something like that, Ikuto. Love is a serious thing," she chastised him, trying to keep too much blood from rushing up to her cheeks.

"I shouldn't joke about love, huh?" Ikuto murmured, appraising her with his dark eyes. She met and held them with her own gaze. They stayed like that, staring at each other, for a few seconds before Ikuto blinked and almost smiled.

"I'll remember that for when I feel like joking about a serious subject," he stood up, turning his back to her, waving over his shoulder, "See you around."

He was out of sight quickly, leaving Amu to wonder about his last phrase. Looking down at her dripping cone, a small smile graced her lips as she thought about how some things are sweeter than chocolate ice cream.

**How was that? I think it was better than the last one, but perhaps that's just me. I wanted to write this because it's how I think he would confess. I mean, he wouldn't buy her chocolates and roses, get down on his knee and confess his undying, everlasting love. He's not a really romantic guy. He's realistic, and casual. Maybe it's just my opinion, but a lot of Amuto writers seem to overdo it with Ikuto's confessions. I read Amuto occasionally, and I've noticed, which is another reason why I wrote this. On a related note, Amu does not suddenly get a speech impediment whenever Ikuto is around her. This might be a little harsh, but it annoys me quite a bit. No offense to anyone who does write that sort of confession, I just prefer something more laid-back. Okay, this totally turned into a rant. Sorry to anyone who actually read that.**

**Thank you to **_**Starry-Eyed Starfish**_** for reviewing. I do enjoy reviews, so if you have the time, I would love it if you left one. Thanks for reading ^^**

**~Rain**


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